Blog Contest!

Contest to win a $50 gift certificate at Homeschool eStore! Go to the Just Some Stuff blog for the rules!


1. How many children do you have / homeschool? 3 children - one in 1st, one in pre-K, one in constant trouble
2. How long have you been homeschooling? We have been an official, registered with the state, private school for two months now - but honestly, we've been homeschooling since the birth of my first child, August 2001. I know it sounds cliche', but it's true... especially since it's now trendy to send your child to preschool, at least part-time, at age two.
3. Have they always been homeschooled, or did they ever go to public/private school? Always homeschooled. I actually decided that I wanted to homeschool when I was pregnant with my first.
4. Do you plan on homeschooling until graduation? Absolutely.
5. Do you belong to a co-op? No, but our homeschool4 -H club is very co-op-ey.
6. Do you school all year long, or use some other schedule? We pretty much school all year long though we take a lot of time off in the summer and whenever life dictates the necessity.
7. Do you use textbooks only, or do you like to supplement with other materials? We use both textbooks and other stuff. Most of our subjects are at least supplemented by living books, internet research, and hands-on activities. Some subjects are entirely that.
8. Are field trips included in your school plans, or are they just family time? Again, both planned and "other." I will plan certain trips to coincide with our studies, some trips because there is a homeschool group going, and some trips just for fun. They all count though.
9. Do you and your kids do crafty stuff together for school time? We try to, but not as much as I'd like. My oldest doesn't like them much so it isn't really worth the effort to get all that mess out. Everyone loves experiments though. We really should do more of those than we do.
10. Would you consider everyday household life stuff ‘home ec’? Absolutely.
11. Do you have any advice for new homeschoolers? Don't get hung up on labels and don't worry if your homeschool doesn't look like anyone else's. What works for your family isn't necessarily what will work for anyone else's and that's ok. In fact, that's great! It means that you are truly giving your children the education that's right for them.
12. Do you have advice for homeschoolers with little ones under foot? Deep breaths, deep breaths! LOL, but seriously, flexibility is the key. Save the stuff that needs quiet and uninterrupted concentration for naptime. Try to get the little ones involved when you can. And most of all, remember that this is a short time in all your lives. Appreciate it for what it is and try to remember that you have a lifetime to do "serious stuff."